Not too long ago, I asked about people’s favorite Fall flavor on Facebook. Sadly for me, a devout apple-lover, pumpkin trounced the competition.
Then I went ahead and made an Apple Pie Pudding anyway because I’m contrary like that. To make it up to pumpkin lovers everywhere, I came up with this paleo Pumpkin Pie Pudding!
What’s so great about a paleo Pumpkin Pie Pudding? Well, it’s dairy free and packed full of healthy fats because it’s made with coconut milk. It has plenty of pumpkin in it, obviously, plus the mandatory pumpkin pie flavor boosters: maple syrup and cinnamon. (If you are looking for a canned pumpkin puree that is BPA free, here is one.)
And then this paleo Pumpkin Pie Pudding is set and gets its silky texture from the addition of some grass fed gelatin. This pudding has all the flavor of pie, with none of the usual icky gluten, sugar or processed ingredients. Plus, you don’t have to cook or make pastry! Yay! Did I mention that I topped it off with maple candied pecans? Because – I topped it off with MAPLE CANDIED PECANS! I used 4 oz Mason jars as ramekins so that they could be stored covered in the fridge easily.
Why I use grass fed Gelatin
I prefer to use grass fed Gelatin as it is sourced from animals which have not been fed any grains or soy products. If you source your gelatin carefully, this also means that the animals have been raised hormone, pesticide and GMO free.
Edited to add:
Some people were reporting issues regarding the gelatin combining. Although I did not have those problems myself, I have amended the instructions so that the gelatin is now bloomed first and then dissolved into the coconut milk first; this should alleviate any issues. Please let me know if you have any problems!
Paleo Pumpkin Pie Pudding with Maple Candied Pecans
This Paleo Pumpkin Pie Pudding is dairy free & packed with pumpkin, maple syrup & cinnamon. All of the flavor of pumpkin pie, but no baking needed!
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 10 mins, plus chilling time
- Yield: 8 4 oz puddings 1x
- Category: dessert, no bake
- Method: chilled
Ingredients
For the puddings:
- 1/4 cup cool water
- 2 tbl grass fed gelatin
- 1.5 cups coconut milk
- 1.5 cups pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
For the candied pecan topping: (omit for AIP)
- 1/2 cup pecan halves
- 2 tbl maple syrup
- 1 tsp coconut oil or avocado oil
- Pinch salt
- Pinch ground cinnamon
Instructions
For the puddings:
- Place the water in a bowl and sprinkle the grass fed gelatin over it. Set aside to dissolve.
- To a small saucepan, add the coconut milk. Gently warm the coconut milk over a low heat – do not simmer or boil. Whisk in the dissolved grass fed gelatin and keep whisking until combined. Remove from the heat.
- Add the pumpkin puree, maple syrup and cinnamon to a blender.
- Puree until smooth.
- Add the grass fed gelatin and coconut milk mixture to the blender and blend on high until smooth.
- Use a wide mouth canning funnel to divide the mixture evenly between 8 4 oz mason jars or ramekins. Chill for at least 1 hour.
For the candied pecan topping:
- Add all the ingredients to a small saute pan. Cook over medium high heat – the right temperature will be when the maple syrup is bubbling. Keep stirring constantly until the syrup reduces and the pecans are coated, about 5 minutes.
- Remove to a parchment paper lined plate. Chill until the puddings are ready, then top the puddings with the candied pecans. If you like, add some whipped coconut cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon, too!
Notes
Will keep in the fridge for several days without the pecans on top. Make and store the pecans in an airtight jar, then add before serving.
This looks wonderful! So cool that it’s paleo too!
Thank you so much! 🙂
I just made this recipe and the flavor is delightful, but the gelatin did not combine. It sort of ended up as pea sized gelatin pellets.. Could the gelatin be combined at another step in the process to prevent this?
Was it a smooth paste when you mixed it up? I find that it can clump if the water is too cold.
Just don’t mix it too far ahead of time like I did and had 1 BIG clump! It melted down in the heated c milk though.
I have done that… a lot! But, yes, you’re totally right – gentle heat will make it liquid again 🙂
i agree with Megan…this recipe did not work for me. my gelatin didn’t really set leaving the pudding both soupy and grainy. the flavor was great though!
I’m sorry that was the case 🙁 What kind of gelatin and pumpkin did you use? I’d really like to help fix this so that it works for everyone, so any extra info you can give me would be really helpful in trying to recreate the issue and rectify it.
I used the Great Lakes gelatin and fresh pumpkin purée. I tried this again using half a tablespoon of gelatin dissolved directly in the coconut milk and it worked great 🙂
Yay, I’m so glad! I changed my method so that the gelatin paste was whisked into warmed coconut milk and that seemed to work well, too 🙂
It’s best to first “bloom” the gelatin in cool liquid and then add warm/hot liquid to thin it down, then add it to the rest of the ingredient. I am going to try this recipe today, using some milk to bloom it and then warm the water to thin it down.
Update: I bloomed the gelatin in 1/2 cup of cold milk for a few minutes while I got everything else ready, and then added 1/4c warm-hot water to the gelatin mix. It worked great!
Thank you for this, Kayla! I’ve now amended my instructions so that the gelatin / water mixture is whisked into the coconut milk which is warmed until it dissolves. It seems to solve the issue that people reported.
If I were using a different type/brand of gelatin would the measurements be the same? Thanks, looks delish!
I’m afraid I don’t know because I’ve only ever used the Great Lakes brand, but you can use the same measurements and see how the texture comes out. If it is too hard or too soft after setting, you can just melt the shapes back down and adjust with extra gelatin or liquid as needed. Hope that helps a little!
I was so excited to find this recipe that fits in with the auto-immune paleo protocol (minus the nuts). I upped the spices to a big heaping tablespoon and used Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Spice blend, plus a little extra nutmeg, a pinch of salt, and some vanilla. It is DELICIOUS! I am so happy that I can have a treat at Thanksgiving and stay healthy. Thank you!
YAY! Aw, this comment made me so happy! I did deliberately make the nuts a separate thing so that they could just be left out if needed – I’m so glad you’ve got a Thanksgiving dessert you can enjoy! The nutmeg and salt are a great idea, too, thank you 🙂
I cant wait to try this, I am to bring two Pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving to my sisters. I will also make cute little cups of this for a healthier version YEAH thank you
Thank YOU! <3 Have a fantastic Thanksgiving!
I have a question how important is the coconut milk? My one year old recently developed an intolerance to coconut and we can only have oat milk.
I haven’t worked with oat milk before but if it’s a similar consistency then you should be able to just sub it in for the coconut milk. The gelatin should work just fine 🙂
Yum! I made this for Thanksgiving dessert and it was a hit. So creamy and such a great pumpkin flavor. Thank you for the recipe!!!
YAY! I’m so glad 🙂 Thank you for letting me know! *happy dancing in my chair*
I just made this using leftover sweet potato instead of pumpkin and coconut sugar instead of maple syrup. The taste is terrific, and the texture is perfection. I make a lot of paleo puddings and I’ve gotten very good at guessing how much gelatin to how much everything else. I can’t say exactly how much sweet potato I used but I think it was close enough to your measurements. I probably used less sweetener. All in all, I’m keeping this recipe. I think it worked very well and thank you for it.
Subbing the sweet potato is a great idea! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Is this made with canned coconut milk, or coconut milk in a carton in the refrigerated section? thanks! Can’t wait to try this out.
I always use a canned coconut milk that doesn’t have any preservatives or additives, like this brand 🙂
Could this recipe be made into one pie instead of dividing it into separate servings? Really excited to make it for Thanksgiving this year!
I’ve never tried it that way – it would hold as a pie filling because the gelatin would make it set, but it probably wouldn’t slice too well on it’s own. I’d try putting it into a pie crust like this one, then chilling it for a few hours to set.
Can almond milk replace the coconut milk? My daughter is allergic to coconut. Thanks,
I haven’t tested it myself, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work to make that substitution 🙂
Could stevia and maple flavoring be used in place of maple syrup?
Hi Kati, I don’t use those ingredients myself, so I’m not really sure that there would be a straight substitution. The maple syrup adds moisture as well as sweetness, so I suspect you would have to tinker with the ratios of other ingredients if you were to try a stevia swap.
OMG!!! This is sooo good!!! I was looking for a pumpkin pie with no crust, basically just the filling & came across this recipe. I was so afraid it was going to have a jello like texture, but my goodness, did this surprise me! Texture just like pumpkin pie. Great way to sneek gelatin in my hubby’s diet ?. Awesome job ?
Yay, so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂